18 April 2012

Chocolate Chip (aka Crack) Cookies

It is possible that Paul and I actually fought over these cookies. As in, my having having a minor hyperventillation after Paul took about the umpteenth cookie out of the box one afternoon. I just can't keep up with his cookie consumption.

The main reason for this is that these cookies are seriously addictive. I know everyone says that about food these days, but in all reality, after finishing one of these cookies, it's possible you may have an intense, strong craving to eat another. And another. This is largely due to the perfect salty versus sweet battle that goes on in the middle of the cookie. Like I said, addictive.

It may surprise you to find out that these cookies are made with whole wheat flour. The recipe comes from the cookbook Good to the Grain, which, as I was recently packing up our cookbooks, was immediately placed in the "take with us" pile. It's pretty awesome. But when I was making these cookies, I figured the whole wheat flour would have added a sort of goodness, a sort of oatmeal-chocolate-chip-ness to the cookies. It didn't. These taste like straight-up good, delicious, from you best local bakery chocolate chip cookies. You'd never guess there was whole wheat in them. In fact, you're going to be too busy eating them to even bother contemplating the ingredients.

Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip CookiesI scooped mine with an ice cream scoop which made very big, if absolutely awesome, cookies. You want to scoop them into round balls about an inch in diameter. Don't skip the chilling step, it's essential.

1. Mix whole wheat flower, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.2. Place butter in a large bowl, add in both sugars. Cream the butter with the sugar until light, fluffy, and combined, using either a fork or an electric mixer. Add in the eggs and the vanilla until well combined. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until incorporated, then fold in the chocolate chips.3. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour. The dough can chill for up to 48 hours.4. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 5. Scoop cookie dough out with a large spoon or small ice cream scoop. Place balls onto cookie sheets a couple inches apart. Bake 16-18 minutes - they will still be a bit soft on top. Let cool. Store in an airtight container.